Miss the Light When it Burns Low
by DarkRai
Summary: [SwanQueen] FTL AU Regina's good now, she's happy, she has Henry and family and it's all she ever wanted in life. But then her son gets taken away and she spends all her time looking for him; she's tired and the impending war was not helping either. Then there's that talented blonde, she calls herself Swan and Regina swears she's seen those magnificent emerald eyes before.
1. Black and White and everything inbetween

**Prologue ~ Black and White and everything in between**

* * *

A/N: This idea has been bouncing around in my head, the idea that Regina is good and Emma is evil. But I didn't want to completely deconstruct Regina's character, because I love her sassiness, and really, that sassiness was borne out of her experiences, her hard life, and in order to keep the Regina I've grown to love, I needed her to go through that life (I'm sorry). Afterwards however, you can view it more of a Redemption!Regina than a PureGood!Regina because I figured, someone that's pure can never help someone out of darkness because they can't relate on the same level, and that's partially why we love SQ right?

I actually haven't really seen many (if any) fics that made Regina good and Emma evil, it's always been both of them evil or Regina going through Redemption, and even then, Emma was Dark One evil.

Also, I want to say that because this is my first fic, please be gentle, but that's not what I want. I'm not even that gentle as a reviewer even when people say it's their first fic so why should I ask the same courtesy? I'm not saying 'be mean', but I would love good criticism.

Oh right, Disclaimer: I'm a poor hobo so I don't own a thing.

* * *

 _"Don't do this, please!" She couldn't help but stare in horror at the scene in front of her. This was certainly not what she had expected when she decided to crash the naming ceremony of Snow White's child; who knew the Dark One would get there first._

* * *

By the twisted will of the fate's she had been destined to be set on a warpath of hate and revenge triggered by her lover's death due to the carelessness of one Snow White. Not only did that carelessness and ignorance cause the loss of her happiness but also forced her into a cage of silent torture. Yes, she was groomed to be a Queen but she never wanted any of it, and being forced to wed King Leopold was not something she viewed as a blessing. If anything, it was a curse.

She has been invisible and trapped all her life, thrusted unwillingly into smaller and smaller cages until she inevitably suffocated to death, first from her mother then second by both her mother and the spoiled Snow White brat. Sometimes she wished she was completely invisible because this new prison was worse than her last as now she was just used as a trophy and a glorified whore.  
No one talked about the sobbing and the state of the new Queen on certain nights.

It was when she was at her lowest point did the Dark One come to her, giving her promises of revenge, tempting her with power to escape her prison. She's always been a little naive - no thanks to her mother, because the smart ones were harder to control - so she was unaware of the skillful manipulations of the Dark One and easily fell into a spiral of destruction and pain.

The scream of agony was from her heart's final cry before it was swallowed up by the darkness.

Murdering the King has never felt so sweet, it wasn't her first kill, but it certainly was the first that mattered. After that, she managed to run the little princess out of the Kingdom and she's been on a man hunt ever since. The years that went by were just an unkept tally of winning and losing to the ever elusive Snow White; but one day the insolent girl had the gall to announce her wedding and seek her happy ending despite the ongoing war with the Queen. Did their feud not strike fear? How was it possible that Snow managed to live her life whilst she pushed all her time and energy to fight the girl? Snow White was going to get her happy ending, despite the betrayal, despite everything she had put her through, despite the fact that she ruined the life of one Regina Mills.

She had spent days pacing, panicking, plotting on what to do to make sure that Snow White did _not_ win, there was no way she was letting their story end this way. She had called for the Dark One but had found out that the _moron_ got himself captured by Snow White and was of no use to her now. Snow also managed to get an enchantment on both herself and her shepherd that protected them from the Queen's attacks. She went to see Maleficent regarding the Dark Curse she traded with her but realized there was nothing for her to sacrifice since her father had died from a dilapidating disease.

"My dear sweet girl, please do not lose to the darkness." He had said on his final breath.

"I'm sorry, Daddy, I'm afraid that's too late." She whispered when he finally left.

In the end she had ran out of ideas but decided to go to the wedding and make an empty threat anyway, because she had nothing else to live for but revenge.

"I shall _destroy_ your happiness, if it is the last thing I do."

But the most she could do was go about her day the same that she always did, terrorize the villages, have her army go around and capture anyone that support Snow; but none of it was enough, she wanted the girl to suffer. Eventually, too much time had passed and Snow had the audacity to announce the birth of her child and the date of her naming ceremony.

Hence, where she was now.

The Queen had burst in with her usual theatrics only to stop when she noticed that the Dark One had stolen her thunder.

"Rumplestiltskin."

The scaly man turned around and that's when she noticed the bundled up baby in his arms. "Hello dearie, nice to see you've finally joined the party."  
The child was quiet with watchful eyes, practically surveying whatever was happening around her. For that split moment, she met the eyes of the babe, her magnificent green eyes locked with chocolate brown and she felt her magic bubbling up to the surface of her skin. Without even realizing it she threw out a hand and attempted to strike the Dark One with a fireball.

He easily deflected the blast and _that damn giggle_ , "No need to get so _fired_ up, dearie."

"Cut the crap, Rumple. Give me the baby."

"No! Both of you leave my baby alone!" She had momentarily forgotten the presence of the White Princess but her outburst made her notice the swords that were drawn around them.

"Unfortunately, I can't do either of those things," Rumplestiltskin pranced on the spot and dramatically waved a hand around, knocking down all the soldiers that were closing in, "this child, as you all know, was born out of True Love." The imp pointed between Snow White and Charming and the Queen barely contained her scoff. "And True Love is _magic_ , right dearies?" his grin was both devious and malicious and he pointedly directed those words to Regina, knowing it brought back sour memories. "So not only does it have the greatest potential for good..."

"No!" She was unsure who that outburst came from but she certainly drew the line at manipulating innocent babies, especially ones with eyes that shifted into a beautiful emerald - she decided to resolutely ignore the fact that this was the child of Snow White.

"Oh yes!" He giggled at their obvious distress "This child also has the greatest potential for _evil_."

Regina found herself and Charming lunging forward but the Dark One quickly shrouded himself with red smoke. The last thing she heard was a final outcry from the baby White before the smoke cleared and they found the scaly man gone, as well as the baby. Snow fell to her knees and Regina should have been ecstatic at the other woman's despair, but she wasn't. She felt empty and she teleported back to her castle because she couldn't stand the sobbing of the girl she once sought out to destroy.

On that night she laid on her bed and contemplated why she still felt so empty. She got what she wanted, Snow was heartbroken, she finally _won_. But maybe she had lost so many times that she couldn't recognize victory even when it was right in front of her, maybe it was because _she_ wasn't the one that caused Snow White's despair, or maybe, this was what victory truly felt like when it was based on the destruction of someone else's happiness. She still felt empty and alone.

What was she to do without rage, without revenge however? What else was left of her except those things? After such a long time of fighting she didn't know anything else. What is her purpose for living now?


	2. The Makings of Evil

**The Makings of Evil (Rumple's Nonexistent Diary)**

A/N: Boom! I'm on a roll!

This chapter will be slightly different. Also I'm shocked I had written about 2k words of it when majority has been in diary form. I have never written in a diary, don't even own a diary, so to be honest I went into this a little blind. I enjoy setting the scene, but I also personally find those chapters rather tedious myself because I'm just like "Get to the good stuff, I want to see Emma and Regina interacting!"

Unfortunately, they won't be interacting yet, not for a while anyway, I still need to make Regina good lol. I'll try to keep these backstories brief as I'm sure we've all read this crap a billion times now. Thus why I wrote it in diary form, just to give it a little twist and pizazz.

* * *

 _Dear Diary,_

 _I have decided to document my time as I patiently wait until I am needed again for each optimum event. It has been a few centuries since I've last seen my son and even though I am a patient man, I find myself feeling... fidgety. Yes, oddly enough I cannot seem to stand still. The one vision I had seen many years ago is finally beginning to take fruit and it will only be a matter of time before the groomed queen will finally be pushed over the edge and cast the curse._

 _Such a sweet, naïve little girl, how I've corrupted so. It's hard to believe that someone so innocent could ever be the daughter of Cora, but I suppose the lack of a heart really does change a person. It was all too easy to trap the girl and bring her into despair; Cora did half the work really. The supposed 'good' King brutalizing the girl certainly helped in shifting her views of what's good and what's evil. One day, Snow White will require my services, and once she does, my plan will reach its final stages.  
Soon, Bae, I will find my way to you._

 _Oh, and the weather is dreadful._

* * *

 _Dear Diary,_

 _I have made a terrible mistake. My impatience might cost me my entire plan but I must try to see to it until the end._

 _See, the thing about having the powers of foresight is that you should never look into your own future, doing so will not only render your ability useless but it could also change the fabric of time and any future previously seen can and will change to something else entirely. I was foolish, impatient, I wanted to see the state of my son, to know if he would ever forgive me in the future once I meet him.  
However, doing so has cost me greatly and now I am afraid I will just try to continue my original plans and hope that not much has changed._

 _Right now, I'm hoping my meeting with my son will change, he apparently did not forgive me._

* * *

 _Dear Diary,_

 _I'm already seeing some deviations from the future the previous seer has given me. This will not do, everything will be ruined at this rate. I must find my way to Baefire, I must seek more power, I must quickly redo all my plans or make new plans, anything, to ensure that I get my son back. I will do anything to get to my son._

 _Regina, my groomed puppet, is no longer useful. Sure, she's still filled with rage and revenge but the thing required for casting the curse - her father - has stupidly fallen ill and died. Useless, utterly useless, the lot of them! Fate is such a curious little thing, one deviance and everything changes; what could have possibly made the Queen's father sick in one timeline and healthy in the other one? No matter, I will find an alternate route, there must be something I can use._

 _I need a lot of power in order to open a portal into another world, I will also need a way to track where Bae is. He told me that bean led to a magicless world, but why go there when there's no magic when I can bring him back here where I can give him everything he needs?_

 _This might set my plans back a few decades, I will have to rethink something else now, everything has been burned to the ground and I was foolish enough to cause it._

* * *

 _Dear Diary,_

 _It appears that Snow White and Prince Charming will soon be birthing a progeny. What is that? A True Love couple's baby? Well, that's a curious little thing isn't it?_

 _I can see the beginnings of a new plan now. Yes, it's right there. I just need magic, the most powerful magic in the world, True Love. That Snow child would be stupid enough to make a deal with me if I appear at her most vulnerable moment and that's when she unwillingly hands over her baby. Nobody seems to read the fine print._

 _Yes, yes, this will be perfect._

* * *

 _Dear Diary,_

 _Well, now. It appears I have a problem._

 _I have the baby but I cannot seem to draw upon its power. It is possible the magic is too pure for me to touch it, I will have to wait until the baby uses it itself. Train a little Dark One apprentice maybe._

 _If I groom it well, I'll be in command with one of the strongest magics out there._

 _This will take forever however, I will have to leave it in an enchanted room and speed up its growth. Should take a few years before it turns into a fully-fledged adult, in the meanwhile I will bring the babe into the darkness and taint its magic. By the time I'm done, the babe will do my bidding and I will have that power in my hands._

 _Now I just need a maid to nurse the babe, maybe clean up the castle while she's at it, this castle is filthy._

* * *

 _Dear Diary,_

 _The child has fire and determination, I'll give it that. Those are not traits I need however, they were necessary when I trained the Evil Queen, but this will be a different puppet. I must snuff out that light, that fire, before the child gets too difficult to control._

 _I am not liking this new maid, she teaches the child too much sympathy but I cannot seem to get rid of her, however much of a nuisance she is. I will just have to teach her apathy faster than she can learn empathy._

 _I am also seeing signs of magic, soon I will have to start training her; I will take the child apart emotionally and only build her back up with anger. Maybe I'll teach her that heart ripping technique Cora seems to be so fond of; I'm usually above petty revenge, but it would be amusing to see the Queen's reaction to a new magic user ripping out hearts._

* * *

 _Dear Diary,_

 _I cannot seem to understand the point of it, but the maid seems to have given the child a name, Swan. It appears they were strolling outside at a nearby lake and encountered a swan, from then on the child wanted 'to be as strong and majestic' as one. Foolish girl. It doesn't matter, at least I can call the child something other than 'child'._

 _I'm still seeing sparks of goodness left in Swan, but she's getting rather proficient in torturing the prisoners I have held captive. Foolish men who have tried to kill me, foolish thieves who have tried to steal from me, all left in my dungeon, all left at the mercy of one girl._

* * *

 _Dear Diary,_

 _It's been a few years now, 6 to be exact, and Swan has accelerated into quite the young adult. Her magic has grown extraordinarily strong and it will only get stronger; such power would have actually frightened me if I were not in such control of it. I will be keeping the girl in accelerated time. Just for a few more years._

 _She has also grown into quite the apathetic assassin which should be of use to me in the future. I may have lost my power of foresight, but I will always keep my habit of backup insurances._

 _I have kept my maid, I find it laughable that she thinks what I am doing to the Swan girl is disgusting. You would think the woman would have known better considering who I am. Swan also seems to only open up to my maid, I will allow it; it may be the only thing that keeps the girl sane and I can use the maid as leverage should Swan ever think to disobey me._

 _It is also almost time for me to get a barrier open; I have procured a looking glass and a map of the otherworldly so I will be able to get Baefire's exact location._

* * *

 _Dear Diary,_

 _My boy, my son, Bae! He has come back! The portal was a success!_

 _He's angry, I suspected he would be, but that doesn't matter, eventually he will come around and we can be father and son again. He still calls me papa so I know he will forgive me. He just needs some time to cool down I'm sure._

 _Oh my poor boy, he's so big now, and yes, he may hate me now for locking him in a room, but he will thank me later._

* * *

 _Diary,_

 _Bae is still being rebellious, it has been months now. I do not understand; I am willing to give him everything he wants and yet he still wants to run away from me. I've already apologized for not going into the portal with him, I don't know how else to apologize._

 _I have noticed his interest in Swan and I believe it in my best interest to stop it before he becomes too attached. Swan may either slice his throat or become besotted with him, and I cannot have either of those things happening._

* * *

 _Bae,_

 _You stupid,_ stupid _boy! How could you do something so… foolish! Impregnating my_ weapon _of all things! This cannot do; it's already too late to harm the child without harming the girl as well; how they managed to hide it from me so well is beyond me. Though I suppose they themselves couldn't see the signs until it was too late. I can only wait until she gives birth before I take the child away._

 _A child will only cause more trouble than it's worth, a child will just unravel all my hard work at destroying Swan's emotions. On the other hand, taking away her child will keep her angry, though maybe I should keep the child within reach as leverage in order to keep the girl in line._

* * *

 _Dear Bae,_

 _How dare you betray your father like that? How could you ruin my plans? How dare you steal the child away and run? I would have allowed you to see the child; he was still my grandson. Yes, I may have planned to threaten the child's life in order to scare Swan into obeying, but I wasn't going to actually go through with it!_

 _The good news is that Swan was filled with so much hate and betrayal that she has shut her feelings off entirely. Swan believed you had used her for her body and purposely left with the baby because you had gotten what you wanted. That amount of hate and pain can destroy worlds. I believe my weapon is finally ready to be used, thank you for assisting me, Bae. I may not be trying to find you in another world any more, but I will always want more power._

 _Bae, I will bring you back to me, and I will find my grandson too. I just got you back and I will not be losing you again._

* * *

It was no use, this was the only way to keep his kingdom alive. He has gone over every scenario and every option he had, all of them have failed him.  
"Worthless peasant sons." He muttered under his breath. He never should have gotten the sons from a shepherd family. They truly were all useless; one got himself carelessly killed and the other ran off right before breaking off the engagement to King Midas's daughter. He couldn't even drag the man back and make him plead for the daughter's hand again because the fool found her lost love. That worthless son of his also found himself married into the White family but had cut all ties with his own kingdom.

"Every. Single. One of them. Useless!" He swung both arms and flung all the parchment and ink off the table. The clatter of items echoed off the stone walls and resonated deeply within his ears. He had no choice, he had to make another deal. He was already in debt and his kingdom deteriorated slowly; at this rate he will be invaded and there was nothing he could do to fight back because his soldiers were suffering from lack of food.  
With his palms resting against the large war table and his head resignedly down, he let his voice ring out.

"Dark One I summon thee."

There was a sigh at the end there; this would be the third time calling this monster and honestly if he could avoid it he would. Nothing good ever comes from dealing with the imp but he had ran out of options.

"Ah King George, my most loyal customer." He stood up straight and turned around to scowl at the scaly creature. "A pleasure to see you again as well." The Dark One sassed, "Now, what can I do for you?"

"Those worthless sons you gave me were of no use at all, I want you to give me something better."

The Dark One giggled, "Ah, on the contrary, both those men did as you asked and were both fantastic fighters, maybe King George," he disappeared and reappeared right beside the King, "the problem lies with _you_?" King George swung out his arm in anger only to hit air.

"Enough! You will do as I say Dark One and you will do it now!" Another girlish giggle and the scaly imp pranced on the spot.

"I've got just the thing!"


	3. How the Dark turned to Light

**How the Dark turned to Light**

A/N: It's time for some Regina Redemption. Some RR. Some Read and Review. Some… Reading Railroad? No, wait.

* * *

It had been a long day of calculating taxes but she is most certainly glad it was over. Her throat felt dry from yelling over the voices of her stubborn councilmen and the only person she wanted to see now was the Light of her Life. She sauntered over to wooden doors, heels clicking on stone tile, hips swaying to a silent beat; there were carvings of stars and moons under the polish. She lightly pushed the double doors open, hoping she didn't disturb its occupant.  
A crib was situated in the middle of the room, a mobile with stars circling right above it. She silently stood beside the crib, smiling and cooing at the baby boy inside.

He was the reason for her life now.

" _Hey."_

 _The stranger appeared at her window and she had half a mind to blow him up with her magic. "You have three seconds to tell me why you're here before I call my guards and throw you in the dungeon."_

" _Oh, whoa, calm down lady, I just need you to help me." And that was when she noticed a small bundle in his arms. "I need you to look after him, I'm in danger so I can't take care of him."_

 _She couldn't believe the audacity of the man, "What in heaven's name made you think you could just waltz right up to a Queen and demand she take your son?" He looked at her for a moment before answering slowly._

" _Actually, I went to a seer and she told me you were his best chance, and he would be yours."_

Years ago she never would have thought that the stranger would be right and that she would be glad she was wrong; for once in her life she feels calm, feels happy, and she was glad she took the chance and took the baby. The stranger quickly left afterwards before she even got a name, she didn't even get a name for the baby, so she named the babe the first name that came to mind.

"Hello, Henry."

 _Henry Daniel Mills, t_ he name was an obvious choice; the only two people that have shown her love. She wanted to honour both of them with this new beginning and she was going to love her son with everything she had.

The six years before she received her son she was a wandering soul. Ever since the naming ceremony for Snow White's baby, she no longer sought revenge. She reasoned that it was because the girl was so broken hearted afterwards it no longer brought her joy to cause misery on Snow; surely the princess was miserable enough, there was no need to beat a dead horse. But without revenge, she couldn't find a viable reason to live. Daniel was gone, her father was gone, and she banished her mother to another realm; everyone she loved was gone.

Hence, years of her wandering aimlessly, without a goal, without much thought. She lived, but she no longer _lived_. Luckily on the day the stranger gave her Henry, she was so trapped in her own thoughts that she didn't move to kill him as quickly as she normally would. So alone that when he pleaded with her to take the baby, to keep the baby safe, and to love the baby with all her heart she agreed to do so.

And she did.

Regina has always loved strongly, feel strongly. It felt like she suddenly had a reason to live again and she vowed that she would not have her child grow up with his mother being the Evil Queen and she would love and protect him, something her own mother never did with her. She never wanted her child to grow up the way she did.

With the arrival of Henry, she realized that she could not have a war rage on around her if she wanted to keep her son safe. She had woken up in a cold sweat one night when she dreamt that some mercenary shot at her son while he was playing in the garden. The next few months after that, she kept her son close by and inside every day but even she could tell she was holding on too tightly because her baby boy was getting fussy.

With no one else to turn to, she swallowed her pride – she would do anything for her son at this point – and gathered her knights, councilmen and even the servants.

"I need ideas on how to keep my son safe from enemies and intruders, and I need them now." She had demanded, and the people in the room none too subtly gaped at her. A moment of uncomfortable silence passed and she was about ready to demand again before someone cleared his throat.

"You…"

It was the huntsman she took the heart of all those years ago because of his betrayal. "If I may, your Majesty, there is a saying that in order to keep yourself and your family happy, you must make the people around you happy as well." There were a few gasps and awkward shuffling at his words because _was he asking for a death sentence?_ But oddly enough, the knowledge that she had his heart in hand meant that she knew he could only give advice that he felt were true and not because he was trying to betray her, so she actually listened and took the advice to heart.

It was not something she would have ever considered herself; making others happy? What sort of advice was that? But after another nightmare that involved the nearby villagers revolting against her and killing her son in the process, she decided to give it a try.

She was willing to take a chance, to change for her son and be better; she stopped her knights from terrorizing the villagers and townsfolk, she ceased the war with the White Kingdom and announced her apology to Snow White – but only if she apologized as well for causing the death of her love – and she asked for a truce, an alliance that would protect them both.

Of course the girl was baffled by this sudden change of heart, she was suspicious and she had good reason to be. But she loved Regina like a sister – always have - so she readily agreed to the ceasefire (after months of deliberation) and openly apologized for the grief she had caused Regina. Snow may have still been the naïve child she has always been, but the level of trust and the amount of chances she had given Regina finally touched her and made her realize that _maybe she should finally let go_. It would take some time, but Regina no longer wanted to live in hate, she wanted a domestic life – something she always longed for even before meeting Daniel – and she wanted to be happy and live in peace with her son. Eventually the two kingdoms settled on a treaty that absolved Regina's previous crimes and protected both the White and Dark Kingdom's civilians. Groomed to be good at politics and with a strong proficiency in strategy, Regina's kingdom flourished and over the years talk of the _Evil Queen_ diminished and instead the people spoke praises of their Queen.

For once she could feel the peace in the air, the nightmares were becoming less and less and she was finally allowing her son outside, no longer hidden away from the world. The news of a son quickly rippled within the kingdom and soon word reached even the kingdoms outside of it. She received a letter from Snow asking why she had never told her about her son in mock anger and outright stating that she would visit soon to see the baby boy.

After her initial questions of how exactly Regina obtained the boy, Snow took to Henry almost immediately, lamenting thoughts of the whereabouts of her own child somewhere in her consciousness, and Regina wondered about Snow's baby as well. She could still remember how those emerald green eyes sparkled in the torchlight and her own son reminded her of those eyes as well. _But that's just a coincidence_.

* * *

"Snow! Snow! Look at me!"

"Henry! Get down from there before you hurt yourself!"

Why in the world is her son in a tree? Oh she was going to kill Snow.

"Snow, care to explain why my son is up in a tree?"

The White Princess – because no matter what, she was still a princess to her – spun around and Regina felt a tinge of satisfaction at the horror on her face. "Regina! I-"

"Mommy! Look! I'm so high up!" She couldn't stop the smile that naturally appeared on her face even if she tried.

"Oh my, I can see that, my little prince, you're so tall now, you shot up like a _tree_." She never imagined she would be throwing such terrible puns but they made her son giggle and that's all she ever wanted to hear every day.

"Regina! Please stop joking around and get him to come down! I'm worried for his safety." The older woman looked over and easily sympathized with the worry clearly etched on the princess' face. She used to get so deathly worried too but it was something she learned to deal with when she had such an adventurous little boy.

"Please get down from the tree, honey, before we give Snow a heart attack."

"Okay, Mommy." And he swung like a monkey, easily dropping down from branch to branch until he was at an adequate height for jumping down. After learning of his exploring tendencies, Regina decided it was safer to just teach her son the right precautions than just telling him what he could and couldn't do. She remembered the feelings of her rebellious self and being told what _not_ to do only made her want to do it more. And Henry didn't fear her - Regina made sure of that – since he grew up on love and not hate, so there wasn't much to hold him back from running around freely.

"I still don't get how you're fine with him doing such dangerous activities." Regina didn't even bother hiding her eye roll.

"Snow…"

"I- Sorry, we talked about this, I know, it's just hard to, well, stop." She got it, she really did. Snow was simply projecting the worries of her own child onto Henry and it was something she could relate to now. She could not even imagine the wreck she would be if someone took her son away.

* * *

A year had passed since then, and her own baby was already turning 8. She was in his room, tucking his flailed out arms under the blanket and brushing his hair back before giving a kiss on his forehead. His nursery was transformed into the room she was in now. The space on his shelves gradually began to make way for wooden swords and books featuring knights and princesses rather than toys meant for babies.

" _Mommy,_ " He had said one night " _I heard there were some kids that never got to play with toys._ "

" _Yes, Henry, there are children out there that are less fortunate than us and I'm hoping the new laws I'm implementing will help them."_

" _I don't need those toys anymore, can we give it to them?"_

She was so shocked she fell speechless for a moment. She gathered her amazing son in her arms and squeezed tightly, _"Of course we can, honey."_

After dealing with a young Snow, she made sure that her own son, though spoiled, was never shielded from the truth and was made to learn compassion. It would not do to have an ignorant son. And it was in that moment where she felt so proud of her baby boy; she nurtured him well because he grew up to be the smart, benevolent young boy that he was today and it was in that moment where she knew, for sure, that she was not her mother.

Her thoughts were interrupted however, when she felt a presence when she was in the middle of stroking her son's hair. She stood up and whirled around, flinging a fireball at the opposite wall, narrowly missing the imp. She didn't let up on the assault however, highly suspicious and perturbed at the reasoning behind the Dark One's appearance. But the man just giggled and pranced around, dodging more of her fireballs; she refused to give up, she would not be allowing the imp near her son even if she drained all her magic to achieve it.  
"Go. Away." She used one of her son's wooden swords and flung it at the man only for him to catch it with his bare hands – it probably would have been more effective with a real steel sword, "You are not welcome here."

"Well, well, well, now that you're _good_ you don't want to bother saying hi to your old friends anymore?" The Dark One carelessly tossed the wooden sword over his shoulder and gave her a malicious grin, "I must say, I'm a little disappointed. You're not being a very gracious host to someone that came all this way to pay you a visit."

"I am neither a host nor were you ever invited and we were never friends." But the ruckus between Rumple's giggling and the sound the fireballs made upon impact with the stone walls caused Henry to stir. The little boy sat up and sleepily rubbed at his eyes before he realized what was happening. His mother was fighting someone.

"Mommy?" His cry was a mistake however because it stunned his mother for a mere moment, but that moment was all the glittering man required to catch Regina by the throat.

"Mommy!"

"Henry," She choked out, "run." The next thing she knew, she was thrown against the walls, the wind knocked out of her and her mind blacking out for a moment.

"No! Leave her alone!" She couldn't focus her eyes or her thoughts and she barely croaked out her son's name before she fell unconscious completely.

* * *

The first thing she noticed was the searing bright light that was shining down on her closed eyelids. She tried to open them but was blinded momentarily with the light going directly to her eyes. She rapidly fluttered her eyelids in order to fully adjust and she slapped a hand against cold tile.  
Why was she on the ground? She pushed herself up into a half sitting position and groaned from the ache in her muscles and the pain in her head. In front of her was a bed, why was she lying next to the be- Henry!

She quickly stood up, resolutely ignoring the throbbing in her head and the unsteadiness of her feet and peered swung around, her eyes darting to every surface. Her son was gone.

"No."

Henry. Henry was gone. Taken by Rumplestiltskin for god knows what and she may never see him ever again.

"No!"

That bastard will pay! For the first time in a long time, she felt her magic going out of control due to her emotions and everything around her flew off the shelves they were sitting on.

"NO!"

She screamed, she howled, she sobbed, and glass was breaking all around her but she was in too much anger and grief to notice. Eventually she fell to her knees, magic spent and emotionally exhausted. Fat droplets of tears fell from her face and landed on stone. She brought up both hands and held her face but the tears kept coming and simply streamed down her hands instead.

"Henry..."

Her throat was sore from screaming and her voice was hoarse but she didn't care about anything now, she just wanted her son back.

* * *

 _End note: Yeah, I know. I'm terrible._


	4. The Dark Knight

**A/N:** Uh oh, I'm having continuity problems and I'm trying to sort them out, but that means it'll take a while before I can push out another chapter. I also probably shouldn't write when I'm drunk but what can you do? Lol

Also, thanks for the reviews, even if you are guests. I've never actually received reviews or comments on any of my stuff before so this is exciting for me haha

* * *

 **The Dark Knight**

It was nice to be outside for once, resting by the river was a good choice. Her beautiful Palomino was calmly drinking water as she stretched languidly against a tree. She didn't usually take out her brightly coloured horse because it didn't fit her threatening image, but she didn't have to patrol the towns around the castle this time, instead her task was completed out in the forest. This meant she didn't have to keep up much of an image, opting instead for her personal horse than the gigantic Friesian she was given. Her horse, Bug, was one of the few things she personally owned and she always felt bad for not taking him out nearly as often as she should.

She rummaged through her rucksack for a piece of cloth; it was filthy, signs of being overly abused almost covered every inch of it but it was the nicest cloth she had. She took her sword out of its sheath and winced at the sticky blood that covered it, it was going to stain her sword and make it rust if she didn't clean it up right now. She knows it's not good to get so attached to all her personal items, but growing up with so little made her hang on to anything and everything she owned and taught her the basics of daily maintenance. It was the only way to make things last.

"Ah crap." She noticed blood seeping into the ground from the box she had to deliver. She groaned because _that_ was _definitely_ going to stain. Opening up the lid, she rearranged the head the box contained so that the neck stub faced upward; she can just turn it right-side up when she got near the castle so it would look a little nicer. Now she's just worried about the smell, though there's really not much she could do about that. Really, the King asks for far too much because there honestly wasn't a _neat_ way to present a detached head. She cursed in her mind when she realized she completely forgot to take off her leather gloves; she's hoping the blood doesn't leak through and just dries and crusts on the top.

Frustrated at dealing with the messy assassination job she flopped heavily against the tree and looked up into the sky. It was getting dark so she should look nearby for somewhere to stay. Preferably something with a bed. She finished her job a lot sooner than she had expected so she could take her time before heading back to the castle.

She whistled and her horse slowly trotted over, "C'mon boy, let's find somewhere to sleep."

* * *

She lifted her head and let out a chilled breath, watching the white cloud float and fade into the air. The days were getting shorter and the cold was getting worse. Another cycle of seasons was about to pass and she couldn't help but think – not for the first time - about what she was doing with her life – if she really had a life that is. It was also getting surprisingly dark and if she couldn't find a place to stop at soon she would have to just sleep in the woods.

After a few more minutes of hearing her horse trotting heavily against the dirt, she saw torchlight up ahead and what appeared to be a small village; lucky her, looks like she wouldn't be camping in the woods after all. Her horse fell to a slow saunter and she deftly hopped off. There were definitely people staring at her and she knew it was due to her black polished armour and what it represented.

The kingdom was rotting. Well, in _her_ opinion the kingdom was rotting. Like a dying tree with a multitude of black apples. At first the apples were red and vibrant with life, but when the soil could no longer provide the tree with nutrients, the apples slowly start to decay from the inside and into a dark vile mess.

She wondered when she got so poetic, she blames Belle. It also wasn't her best metaphor, Belle actually would've been appalled.

There was a distinct disparity between the upper class and everyone else. The nobles held ransom all the money and frivolously spent them on luxuries and whores, whereas the commoners bordered between dirt poor and barely surviving. She still hadn't quite decided if the nobles were bad or the knights – along with the Elite Guard, a group that she, herself, was a part of - that served the kingdom were worse.  
She had seen a group of so called knights brutally gang up and beat an old man to half an inch of his life because he accidentally 'bumped' into them. She has also seen men getting left for dead because he suddenly looked at them funny. And she's seen females getting raped all night by these groups of knights, each taking turns. It was all bad and nobody was safe, hence why she thought the kingdom was rotting.

She felt a stone nick past her eyebrow and for a moment, commended whoever threw the rock for their amazing throwing arm, then looked over and saw a small boy in tattered clothes. He looked maybe 8? 9? She was never good at guessing ages, especially when all the children are so underfed that they don't develop nearly as well. The small boy hugged a handful of rocks, and upon a closer look all them had sharp edges - all handpicked she assumed - as if the boy was just waiting for this moment to come.

She slowly walked over to the boy - noting he did not run, nor did he look capable of doing so with his trembling knees - and glanced around subtly to see if anybody would claim him. The villagers all looked away and actually strode past quicker, all avoiding eye contact and making themselves as inconspicuously as ever. _What a sad little village_ , she thought.

She stopped in front of the boy; his trembling has gotten worse and rocks slowly escaped his shaky arms. Her hand shot out and wrapped around his throat, she softly squeezed and lifted the boy. She was supporting him up mainly by the underside of his chin than the grip on his throat. "Do you have any idea what you just did?" She asked him calmly, and she loosed her grip a bit to let the boy answer.

"Taking justice into my own hands!" He gasped out; the boy's voice was high and squeaky and she found it rather interesting that one day (if he survived that is) this high pitched squeak will one day turn low and rumbly. Well, maybe rumbly, really depends on how big he gets because not all men become towering menaces.

"And what sort of justice would that be?" She asked with a hint of curiosity colouring her voice. That slight amusement earned her a glare.

"To fight back against you brutes!"

She couldn't help but laugh at the impossibility of the fact. There was just no way such a scrawny kid could even best the weakest soldier.

"Please, lady knight, do not kill him." She turned and looked behind her shoulder and saw a couple. They wore nicer clothes than the boy but looked a bit fearful for his life.

"And you two are?"

"The boy's paren-"

"They're not my parents!" The boy shrieked causing her to wince from the proximity of the scream.

She turned back to the boy and tilted her head in thought, they certainly had an interesting way of phrasing. Looking closely, she noticed some signs of abuse and neglect on the boy. She wondered if the kid was like her, abandoned and then found by a terrible family, sometimes she wondered why people even bothered to take in a child just to abuse them. They could only work the most menial tasks and didn't last long if you didn't take care of them well enough. _Children are like horses_ , she thought idly, which was really one of her dumber thoughts. But she had never interacted with any children until today so she was unfamiliar with them, but horses, horses she was familiar with.  
She shook her head and hummed, completely loosening her grip and causing the boy to tumble to the ground. He quickly picked himself up however and swung his arms wildly in her general direction. She easily flipped him around and held him by the scruff of his neck. She turned both their bodies so that they faced the couple.

He was a little like a lost puppy. She honestly couldn't come up with a reason as to _why_ she hadn't killed the child yet but there was something that was stilling her hand. It was an odd instinct, something in the back of her mind telling her to keep the boy close and she briefly wondered if this was due to some maternal instinct she swore she killed off almost a decade ago. Her gut feelings have carried her so far however, so she decides to go with it.

"You want to fight kid? You have to learn how first. Stick with me and I can train you." She said in a no nonsense tone because he didn't have much of a choice; either he came with her or she dumped him off in the army. All the males were supposed to go to the castle to train as soldiers when they hit a certain age anyway, technically, him being here was a violation.

The boy stopped fighting and turned his head to stare at her in wide eyed shock.

"You want to train me?"

Yeah, she did. The boy had an unusual amount of fire in him, something she didn't quite see anymore and she had to admit, it helped light up her own long lost fire. She used to be so defiant and she wanted to temper and keep that fire for the boy – something she was unable to do for herself.

But before she could answer, the parents in front of them cleared their throats.

"What?" She snapped out and glared at the couple.

"We apologize for interrupting you, lady knight but you cannot just take the boy!" The way they call him "the boy" makes her eyebrow twitch and makes her want to take him away.

"I'm sure you're aware, but as part of the Elite Guard I can do whatever the hell I want." She paused, then decided to add, "I wouldn't go against my order if I were you."

They glanced at each other, silently coming to a decision, "We can't do that." And apparently it was a stupid decision, one that they were going to regret.

Her brow arched when they took a threatening step forward and she quickly pulled the boy to the side and brought out both her hands. Magic flowed through her arms and sparked at her fingers as she held up the couple by their throats. They clawed against their magical constraints but only succeeded in scratching their necks raw; defined lines of red decorated their throats as their faces turned blue.

"Don't say I didn't warn you." And she twisted her hands in opposite directions, waiting for that satisfying _crunch_ of bone before releasing her magic. The two bodies dropped like the dead weights that they were and she wondered if they were going to be an obstacle for the other villagers.

"You- You killed them…" She turned to look over her shoulder and saw the boy collapsed on the ground, his eyes wide in shock and chin trembling slightly. She sighed, the kid's going to have to get used to her killing people if he wants her to train him. Before that though, she was pretty exhausted, they're going to have to find a place to stay; looking around she spots an inn and breathes out in relief.

"C'mon kid, we need to find a place to sleep before we can't even see past our hands."

* * *

"Why did you decide to train me?"

She groaned, _why indeed,_ the kid was a lot more talkative than she had anticipated and she most likely dug herself an early grave by taking him in. "Kid, it's late, I want to sleep."

"And what's in that box?"

"Kid…"

"My name's not 'kid', my name is Henry!" She couldn't help the snort that escaped. "And I can't sleep…" He whispered out as if it was a secret.

"Well, Henry, _you_ may not be able to sleep but that doesn't mean _I_ can't _._ " She heard a small huff and then a shift on the bed behind her and assumed she managed to shut the kid up.

"Thanks for taking me away from those people." Apparently she assumed wrong. "Even if it was wrong that you killed them."

" _Sleep_ , Henry."

* * *

When morning hit she was up with the sun, a regimen that was hammered into her in her time as the Elite Guard. She sat up and looked at the tiny body beside hers; the kid was sleeping rather soundly. He slept half on his stomach facing away from her and with his left arm dangling off the bed. She couldn't even see his face because his mop of brown hair was all over it.

It's possible last night was the first night he got to sleep peacefully and she almost felt guilty for smacking him awake, _almost_.

"Get up." She lightly hit his arm a couple times, each time hitting harder than the last, but the boy didn't stir so she decided to shove him off the bed.

"Ow! What?"

"Sun's up; after we eat we should get moving." _The longer our journey takes, the more that head in a box is going to stink_ , she grimaces. He grumbled but didn't bother to argue for once.

As they both got dressed she double checked their room to make sure she didn't miss anything.

 _Sword - check_

 _Bag – check_

 _Head in a box – check_

 _Pigeon at the window – check- what?_

She pulled open one of the glass windows and a carrier pigeon hopped through. She took the little note attached to its leg and unraveled it.

"Is that a messenger pigeon? Cool!" She rolled her eyes at Henry's enthusiasm and released the bird out the window before slowly reading the message. Her eyes grew wide, _dammit_ ,and she grabbed the kid and hurried out the door to make for the stables.

"Change of plans kid, we need to get to the castle _now_."

* * *

She was so engrossed in reading all the daily reports from her soldiers that she didn't hear the wooden doors slam open.

"Regina!" Her head whipped up and she saw Snow stomp over to her. The White princess stopped in front of her desk and loomed over her menacingly; she practically radiated anger and frustration and Regina had the decency to look a little sheepish. "You promised you would rest!"

"B-but" She couldn't believe this, she was a _queen_ and here she was, slightly cowering from her former stepdaughter and stuttering in fear, "I haven't finished reading all these reports!"

Snow snatched the parchment from her hands and Regina panicked when she thought that Snow had ripped them, "Oh relax; they will still be here after you've taken a nap." She tossed the reports back somewhere on the desk, pulled Regina up to stand and then forcefully dragged her to the door. "Go. Sleep, Regina. When was the last time you've properly rested? Do I have to get one of the fairies to enchant your room so you can't leave it?"

Regina pulled her arm back causing Snow to spin to face her, "Henry, my baby, has been gone for a year. _A year,_ Snow!"

In hindsight, complaining about a kidnapped child to Snow White was probably not the best thing to do and she inwardly cursed as soon as the words left her mouth, "You think I don't know that?! You think I don't _understand?_ " Snow spat out through gritted teeth and Regina was cowering again because despite her calm demeanor, Snow White had been a ticking bomb over the years and certain things – mainly anything mentioning kidnapping or children - set her off.

"No, I- I'm sorry Snow, I know you miss your child as well."

"Of course I do, Regina!" Now the White princess was pacing in front of her with her hands thrown up in the air. "Your son may have been missing for a year but I haven't seen my daughter for _15 years_. And at least you got hear your child's first words!" She was screaming now, "Emma was _just_ born! I never got to experience _anything_ with her!"

Unfortunately, Snow was right and the Queen felt a little guilty for bringing the matter up because Snow did have it worse (not that it was a competition) because she at least got to play with Henry, to hear him call her Mommy and there were memories she could fall back on unlike Snow. But there was nothing for her to say to really pacify the woman because she knew that there was nothing anybody could say to make _her_ feel better when she got hysterical.  
The best thing she could do was wait the rant out and then go through the whole cycle of grief with her.

"She's dead isn't she?" Snow White was sobbing uncontrollably now. Her tears running thickly down her cheeks.

"I don't know, just like I don't know if Henry is alive or not, but if you think they're dead and give up, they might as well be." Regina said softly but strongly, "Until I see definitive proof that Henry is gone I will _never_ stop searching for him." She put a comforting hand on the fair princess' arm. "We'll find them Snow, if it's the last thing we do."

Tears were still running but at least she wasn't openly sobbing anymore, and she sniffed once to attempt to stem the flow of her tears, "I hope you're right."

The doors flew open again, shocking the two women. "Have you never learned to _knock_?!"

"I-" The messenger was taken aback by the sudden anger but decided to push through anyway, "My apologies, your Majesties, but I have a letter from King George that must be read as quickly as possible." He held out said letter and Regina snatched it and ripped it open.

After a minute of silence Snow couldn't wait anymore, "Regina, what does it say?" But the Queen only replied with a heavy sigh and handed the letter to the White princess before taking a seat behind her desk again.

She watched Snow read the letter, waiting for eyes to widen in realization and for her to look up and meet Regina's eyes.

"It appears that King George would like an alliance, and if I refuse, he will be declaring war."

* * *

 **End Note:** So I was calculating the years (the timeline is screwing me up) and I realized the _canon series_ was screwing me up. _Why_ is Regina 30 when she cast the curse? She was what, 16-18 when she married Leopold? So she spent 12 years hating Snow, maybe 2 years married? 10 years chasing after Snow? There's no fricking way Snow would be alive if she was chased around for that long :( Also why did Emma have to be 28? What an arbitrary number to break the curse. Granted, if Snow was 16+12=28, she really would be the same age as Emma after the curse broke. But again, these numbers are just so arbitrary I can't seem to find the logic in them aside from matching closely to the actor's age.

Ugh anyway, the enchantment that sped Emma's growth up was x3 (I have a stupid calculator out) and Henry is 9. If Emma had Henry when she was 18 then 6+9=15 years have passed which makes Regina and Snow 45 and 43yrs old? But then Emma would be 15x3=45yrs old. What? Okay, I'm gonna make Emma a little younger than Regina so she'll be 43 (14x3+1) instead which makes her the same age as Snow, which is friggin canon. So there, done.

This friggin' math question man, it's like one of those problem solving things. ::throws calculator::


	5. Where Good and Evil Collide

**A/N:** I hope you enjoyed the Emma from last chapter, my friend told me she was super badass which was what I was going for.

Anyway, tidbit about me, I dislike OCs in fanfics, and I know that can be hard to avoid when there's a small cast, but luckily ouat has a billion minor characters I can use. So I have this Wikipedia page with all the characters and I'm just picking and choosing where I think fits best.

On another note, I have no idea where I'm going with all this but I'm thinking since this is my first fic, I should try to keep it short. I also really hate it in other fics when Regina and Emma suddenly become super sappy because they're in love so I tried to make their interaction more reminiscent of S1 – you know, the classic one-up-ness and lotta sexual tension.

And btw, it took a long time for them to meet, yes, but my original plan actually made their meeting further in the future but I thought better of it and expedited it. So enjoy their banter.

* * *

 **Where Good and Evil Collide**

"Why are we in such a rush?"

"Don't worry about it kid, just hold on tight." They both sat upon Bug as they flew across the vast plains; she had a day to get back and she estimated they'd get to the castle after sundown. She didn't notice that the boy behind her was too curious for his own good.

The box was definitely giving off a rancid smell and the knight never opened the box in front of him but it looked really important, which didn't help his curiousity in the slightest. He kept glancing at the box and then back at the woman, trying to weigh his options and decide if sating his curiousity was worth his life. In the end he couldn't help himself, and Henry discreetly lifted the lid of the box that was leaning off the side of the horse's saddle.

What he found inside made him scream.

"What?!" The blonde knight quickly pulled on the reins and turned to look at the boy but Henry had leapt off the horse, wanting to get as far away from the head and the woman that probably caused the state of said head.

It took a moment for her to realize what happened, but she managed to piece it together when she saw the lid of the box a few feet away. The kid's legs had given out and he laid there screaming and was having a fit. She sighed and calmly picked up the discarded lid and placed it on the box, then she slowly walked over to the brown haired boy and sat down, still keeping a respectable distance.

"Henry." She wasn't accustomed to being around people, much less consoling _anyone_ but apparently today was the day she would at least try.

The boy recoiled back in fear when she sat down, "Get away from me! You're a monster!" The knight tried not to roll her eyes; it was something she heard often as she was growing up from all the prisoners she had tortured in the Dark One's dungeon, but she was surprised to feel the slight tinge of pain when she heard Henry calling her a monster. She was, she won't deny that, it was something she had accepted and made peace with.

"Henry," she tried again, "it was my job. He was a traitor to the kingdom and I had to go track the guy down. Failing to listen means treason and punishment." She refrained from telling him that the King didn't scare her at all, it was the _damn imp_ that doled out the worst punishments.

Surprisingly, her blunt words managed to calm the boy down; however he was still wary of her but she was grateful that he had at least stopped screaming. "You don't even _care_ when you take a life, do you? You're quick to kill, I saw what you did to my fake parents."

She sighed – _this kid – this kid that viewed everything with rose-tinted glasses and still saw rainbows and unicorns and peace and harmony. He still believed that people are kind because they want to be and not because they want something._ It was an amazing concept for her, to see a child still overflowing with such innocence, to not have this jaded view that _everyone_ wanted something from you in one way or another.

"Look, Henry, I'm not going to lie," because she hated when people lied straight to her face, and she felt like she owed the boy some honesty "I've been taught to kill since I was young and I've grown rather numb to it." _More like apathetic and unfeeling._ "I'm a hired mercenary for the kingdom and when the King tells me to kill someone, I go and kill them, it's a job. Now, if you don't want to be personally trained by me anymore, that's fine, but I still need to bring you to the castle and be trained as a soldier because you're of age and those are the rules."

She paused for a moment, letting the words sink in before she slowly stood up, patting the dirt off her leather breeches then walked to her palomino. She walked slowly and waited for the boy to come up with his decision "Wait!" She turned around to see Henry scrambling to get up, "I… Thanks for being so honest with me, you're different from the other adults, they always lie to me and let me hear what they think I want to hear. I still think killing is wrong but if I had to be trained, I would rather you train me."

She felt a smile tug on her lips, felt the unused facial muscles stretch, and she wondered when the last time was when she really _smiled_.

"No problem kid, now get on, you've wasted enough of our time already."

* * *

When they hit the castle it was already dark and she directed her panting horse directly to the stables. She was definitely going to take extra care of him when she had the time. "Feed him, groom him, the works." She said to a stablehand and she rushed into the castle, not needing to drag Henry along anymore because somehow they've bonded and Henry was beginning to trust her enough to follow heedlessly.

They flew through the door and didn't bother to look at any of the people she pushed past.

"Swan." Someone grabbed her arm and caused her to twist around to face them. She growled.

"Let go of me, Nottingham, before you find your arm firmly detached from your shoulder as your brain is from your head because you _must_ be out of your mind if you think it is okay to touch me."

The man reared his head back for a moment as he took in her glare and reluctantly let go. "Where did you go? Where are you running off to? And who's the kid?"

 _So many questions_ , she sighed, she really didn't have the time to deal with nosy idiots that think they have a right to know her whereabouts at all times, "Where I go is none of your business, but right now, I must deliver this box to the King." She looked over to Henry who stood there quietly, not knowing what to do. "In the meantime, can you look after the boy for me? Maybe find a suit of armour that will fit his scrawny figure." The man, still looking rather perplexed, nodded anyway.

Henry yelled out a "Hey!" when he realized that she was referring to him and she couldn't help but grin and nudged him towards Nottingham.

"Go with this guy and I'll see you after I'm done my errand." After waiting for a nod, she began running to the throne room, box tucked under her arm. "Oh and don't do anything stupid kid!" She yelled over her shoulder.

"Ah, Knight Swan. About time you've arrived."

"My King." She said without any loyalty and passion as she knelt in front of his throne. "I present you the head of the traitor." And she held the box out, but King George merely waved his hand in dismissal.

"Nevermind that, we have something more pressing to discuss." And Swan nearly threw the box at his irritating face because _seriously?_ She had to travel two days with that decaying head in a box and her clothes smell rancid like blood and death and she just _knows_ all the scrubbing in the world can't save them now and she'll just have to burn them.

She would gladly burn the king along with them.

She passed the box over to some guard that scrambles to take it at the king's gesture. "What appears to be the problem?" She asked evenly, trying not to betray her thoughts of immolating the king.

King George tapped his fingers against the side of his cheek for a moment in thought, "As you know, I will be commanding an army to march against the Gold Kingdom in a few months' time. To assist with that, I have requested a treaty with the Dark Kingdom." That was news to her, she didn't think the king would ever request for help from anybody.

"Specifically, the Evil Queen," He continued, "who will be visiting today to discuss the treaty I assume." She nearly scoffed, why _anyone_ would want to ally with this kingdom is beyond her comprehension but she supposes the Elite Guard holds somewhat of a reputation.

"What would you like me to do?"

"Be there at the meeting. If anything goes wrong the Evil Queen is strong enough to take out half the guards, I want you to be there as an insurance." _Figures_ , she inwardly shrugged, she is his strongest asset, it's normal for the king to have his strongest people at a meeting with a powerful sorceress even at the risk of having an outsider like her attend a royal meeting.

"As you wish."

At her acceptance the king waved her away, "Do bathe before the meeting, I can't have you smelling of death when the Queen arrives." She bowed and stepped away to head to her quarters for a bath, but not before rolling her eyes when her back was turned to the greying old man.

* * *

Bathed, relaxed and clothes thoroughly burned, Swan dropped by the meeting room only to be told that the Queen had arrived but split from her entourage and was currently missing and she was told to go find her. Irritated that she has been relegated to running errands, she went through every spot she could think of on castle grounds but was unable to find the elusive queen.

She then searched the outskirts of town and questioned a few townsfolk (the ones that didn't try to flee) and some of them said they saw a royal walking out of town. _She wouldn't_ , Swan thought as all points seem to indicate that the Queen was heading to one of her secret spots and when she got there she stood there in disbelief that somebody was actually there.

"Out for a little stroll, your majesty?"

After disbelief came amazement and wonder at the exquisiteness of the Queen when she turned to look at her. With all the talks of _the_ _Evil Queen_ and _Sorceress,_ she was expecting some sort of hag like most witches she's seen interacting with the Dark One. But no, the Queen had a sort of timeless grace in her; brunette hair piled on top of her head, blood red lipstick accentuated plump lips, a little beauty mark on one side of her face below her bottom lip and a little scar above her upper lip on the other side - that Swan just wants to run a tongue over - and a low cut corset that allowed a perfect view of her cleavage.

Swan was not used to _feeling_ but the Queen was eliciting an emotion she wasn't quite familiar with.

The Queen hummed in reply, "Yes, I needed a break from the sweaty, misogynistic air that permeates throughout that entire castle."

Caught a little off guard, Swan chuckled at how straightforward the woman was, "Not that I disagree, but don't you have be at said 'misogynistic' castle?" At the knight's raised eyebrow the brunette simply waved her off.

"A Queen is never late, dear." Then the older woman looked Swan up and down, a challenging gleam flashing in her eyes. "And who are you to question me, Knight…?"

"Swan."

"Ah," The Queen let out a low husky chuckle that sent the hairs on the back of the blonde's neck tingling, "my retrieval party; _Swan_ was it?"

The younger woman narrowed her eyes - because this _woman_ was purposely inciting her – and grunted out a "Problem?"

The Queen looked over Swan once more, this time more slowly with her chocolate brown eyes absolutely sparkling with amusement. "You're certainly not what I expected, it's a rather… _elegant_ name wouldn't you say?" And Swan knew – especially from the smirk and the tone – that the brunette was trying to get under her skin. "And certainly not something befitting for a knight, I would assume."

She huffed out a, "of course you point out the one adjective that doesn't suit me." Then she moved to stand directly in front of the brunette and crossed her arms over her chest. "If my name is so funny to you, do tell, what's yours? Does it match _you_ , oh _fair one_?"

The Queen somehow managed to both narrow her eyes and raise an eyebrow at the same time and she's surprised the older woman was even playing along since this was definitely not the right behaviour towards a queen. "My name is Regina, dear, but it would be rather informal of you to call me that. You may refer to me as your Queen." Regina stuck her nose up and looked at her haughtily and okay, the Queen has officially gotten under Swan's skin. "And at least you're aware of it. Some say that knowing is half the problem."

Swan muttered "so your name is just as conceited as you are." And in a much louder tone, scoffed out, "So I have a _problem_ now. I didn't realize having a name that didn't match a person was a _crime_." And she narrowed her eyes so much she was practically squinting. "And how _dare_ you openly insult me." She couldn't help but growl those last words out because she was so powerful now – the Dark One made sure of that – that she wasn't used to someone not being afraid of her. The brunette simply laughed.

"No crime, dear, simply a problem." The Queen smiled condescendingly "And I've been insulting you since the beginning, what else would you expect from the _Evil Queen_? I've been known to insult all those far and wide, you're no exception, no matter how special you may think you are. Actually, you not taking the insult and staying quiet could account for treason, maybe I should tell your king about how much you've offended me."

At this point, there was a sort of glee in the brunette's eyes at being able to stand toe to toe with someone; Swan scoffed once more and realized that the older woman was similar to her, bored and unchallenged. The people around her were probably too afraid to speak their thoughts and Swan knew personally just how tedious it can be when everyone agreed to everything you say out of fear, _hah, the cowards_. And for the first time in probably forever, she felt a fire ignite within her, and it was such a curious feeling – like a part of her woke up from a long nap – that she needed some assurance that she would talk to this woman again. "Tell the king that I stood up to you? I don't think you'll do that." She said with a slight lilt.

"Oh?" A smirk and a raised eyebrow, "You presume to know my actions now? Do enlighten me."

Swan walked right up to the Queen until they were two steps away from each other "I think you like our little verbal sparring. I think you missed the _fire._ Do you feel it, _my Queen_ , a heat blossoming in your chest from the anger and the _excitement_ that for once _someone_ is not willing to back down to your whimsical threats?"

She took a step forward and continued, "I think that, yes, you do love to insult and I'm sure you've insulted just about everyone around you and without pause. But do you do it because you're just genuinely a cruel person _or_ is it because it's your only source of entertainment? Are you bored, your Majesty? Do you push – keep pushing – because you're hoping, waiting for that _someone_ to push back?

She took another step until they were practically a nose apart and she could smell the queen's wonderful scent of chocolate and cinnamon at this intimate distance, "Do you want a _challenge_ , Regina? Do you want to feel the thrill of having _someone_ that can _give_ as much as they can _take_?"

The Queen breathed in a sharp inhale at the sound of her name, "And you think that _you_ are that _someone_?" was her whispered reply.

"Oh, I don't think, _I know._ " They stood there for a moment, simply staring into each other's eyes, neither willing to back down. But regrettably, she remembered the time and stepped back while clearing her throat. "Unfortunately, we'll have to put that on hold, but I'm sure we can do this again on a later date, for now we should head back if you're going to accept King George's treaty."

The brunette exhaled out all the air she had held in her lungs in a surprised laugh, "You would be sorely mistaken if you think I want _anything_ to do with that fool."

Swan tilted her head in confusion, she couldn't think of any other reason why the queen would be here, "Then why else would you be here if not to join him?"

"That, my dear, is for you to watch and enjoy later. Now, I do believe it is time for my dramatic entrance."

Swan couldn't stop the chuckle that came out, "Right this way, your majesty."

* * *

When they got near the doors of the meeting room Regina visibly shifted stances. Her back went straighter, her hips swayed more, and each step was taken with more poise and grace than before. She turned her head to briefly glance at the Swan woman behind her, a glint in both of their eyes as she waved a hand to slam open the double doors.

"Sorry I'm late."

"Ah, the Evil Queen finally graces us with her presence." George had stood up from his seat to greet her but she easily bypassed him and took a seat at the other end of the table. She sat on it like it was her throne, leaned back and crossed legs.

"I hope you're aware, George, that your kingdom is absolutely _filthy_." She received a scowl in reply and she gave herself a clap on the back for irritating the man in mere 3 seconds of meeting. Her eyes darted to the woman knight stationed at the side and she saw the blonde visibly shaking from mirth. The sight only made her smirk turn into a feral grin which only infuriated the man standing across from her more.

George cleared his throat and gestured his council members to sit down. "Well then, now that you're here, we can discuss the details of our treaty-"

"Oh, I'm not here to accept your little treaty, George."

The brunette queen promptly cut the man off which incensed the man further and caused him to stand up once again, slam the table and hiss out, "Then why are you _here_? You didn't have any trouble responding to my letter, _Regina._ "

"That's what happens when you send someone a rather poorly concealed threat, dear." She waved a hand as if she was dismissing him, "and I came here purely for added effect." She stood up then formed a ball of fire in her palm. "Because, _George_ , threaten me again and I will make sure there will not be an _inch_ of either you _or_ your kingdom left once I'm through with you." She threw the flame right by where the man's hands were on the table and he quickly leapt away with a yelp.

The table was then left burning freely along the surface and the councilmen jumped back as well. The string of knights leaning against the wall all unsheathed their swords too late that a simple wave of her hand made the swords slide back into their sheathes.

The knights pulled at their hilts in vain, all except one, a tall, and blonde _one_. No, she was off on the side laughing even harder than she was before.

But the woman's laughter was short lived when the king looked behind him and saw her "Dammit, Swan! Don't just stand there, do something!" The woman knight visibly sighed and simply waved her hand. The next thing Regina knew, the blaring fire was no longer and it was just her and the Swan knight standing by the charred table. The Queen looked into the eyes of mirthful hazel and they spoke volumes without saying a word.

The blonde grinned before breaking eye contact, "I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you leave, your Majesty." And she palmed the hilt of her sword in a mock show of threatening her. "Or I'm going to have to _make_ you leave."

Regina raised an eyebrow in amusement at that, "Well, since you asked so nicely, I guess I'll be going then." She made her way around the table - everyone giving her a wide berth - until she was in front of the king. "Oh and George, dear. Next time you make a _threat_ , at least make note of the state of your own people before you make such a _ridiculous notion_. I'm surprised you could ever even _hope_ to beat my army. Have you not seen the unrest among your soldiers? Please, your people would rather soon run off at the first sign of danger than put their life on the line for you."

At this point, the man in front of her was red in the face and with veins popping all over his balding head. A job well done, she would think. "Get out!" The man screamed and she simply laughed instead.

She turned to the blonde woman she had just met only mere moments before and slid a finger down her dark metal chest piece. "I suppose I'll be seeing you then?" _on the battlefield_ , were the unspoken words. And the younger woman looked like she understood as she smirked and nodded in reply, eyes never leaving one another. "And on that note." She raised both her hands and her body was then shrouded by her own purple magic as she teleported back to her own castle.

What awaited her were her own knights and maids who kneeled in waiting. "Get me something to eat, I'm famished, threatening people is a lot more tiring than I remember." She said to the maids, and they promptly got up and the kitchen was soon bustling with energy. "Double up the training and prepare everyone for a war. King George will come knocking sooner than you think. Oh, and send a messenger to Snow White, tell her I might have botched any future negotiations with George and to ready her own knights."

Her people soon got to work and she breathed out a sigh of relief when she found herself seated at her dining table. Food was quickly pushed out and she complimented the cooks for making such a good tasting meal as always.

She thought back on her trip to George's kingdom as she ate her warm meal; the only thing she really took away from it was her interesting interaction with the blonde. _Swan_. Those piercing hazel eyes with hints of green peeking from the sides of her iris. The same green that reminded her of her son and the Snow White's babe. _And_ she had _magic_ too. She was intrigued by the knight, that was for certain, and if there was anything she was looking forward to from this war, it was the promise of being able to go head to head against the blonde woman one day.

"Challenge accepted, Swan. Let's see if you can be that _someone._ " She chuckled to herself.

* * *

 **End Note:** Finally managed to push this chapter out. God, I had this in the backburner for weeks now but I just didn't really know what to write. I kept going back and forth and scrapped a whole bunch of ideas and pieces of dialogue between Emma and Regina because I wanted it right. But today I was like "I don't friggin care." And just sat down and wrote xD


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